Led by ten senior players, the field hockey team overcame challenges playing their games with less players on the field and ended their season as Pod 8 champions. 

The girls defeated Shrewsbury 1-0 in double overtime of the Pod 8 finals on Nov. 14.

Senior captains Macey Poitras-Cote and Kerryn O’Connell worked hard to lead their team in an unusual year. However, they had the rest of the seniors, who made up the majority of the team, right behind them. Seniors Day Ruffo, Bryn Coghlin, Erin Desmond, Libby Alford, Heather Hodgkins, Anna Riordan, Sophia Cavallo and Katie Holmes all made a large impact on the team as well.

“I think every game is a full team effort, even if you’re on the sidelines cheering it really helps and uplifts the people that are on the field so much,” Poitras-Cote said. “In 7v7 you get so tired in the first minute you play, so it’s great to feed off of other people’s energy from the sidelines.”

In order to comply with COVID-19 restrictions, the team had to adjust their gameplay by switching from 11 to seven players on the field. According to Poitras-Cote, this was the biggest adjustment for the seniors, as they were so used to playing a different way for the past three years. However Coghlin said the team adapted well.

“The team did a great job adjusting to the new circumstances,” Coghlin said. “We also never gave up and worked as hard as we could until the last second of double overtime in our final game.”

Poitras-Cote credits their goalie, Desmond, with much of the team’s success.

“Erin Desmond was really strong this year,” Poitras-Cote said. “It’s hard for goalies because a lot of their training usually happens in the off-season and this year we were unsure if she got a lot of training this summer because of COVID, but she came out and was really confident. She was an awesome goalie this year.”

Coghlin agrees that Desmond was a key player on the field.

“Erin saved us in so many games,” Coghlin said. ”She truly stepped up this season and we would not have won without her.”

The seniors are not the only ones calling this season their last, science teacher and coach Dan Welty has announced this will be his last season as he will be moving on from coaching after 19 years. 

“He’s taught us literally everything that we know and every year it’s all about doing things to impress him,” senior Libby Alford said. “He’s all that I’ve ever known as a coach. He’s always been so great. He brought us to the championship my freshman year then again this year so he’s always been super encouraging with everything.”

Welty will cherish the connections he has made over the years with this specific group of girls.

  “I’ve known so many of these girls since they were in seventh grade when they did my club team,” Welty said. “Seeing them come up through the program has been great. When I saw them in seventh grade I knew they were a great group of girls. To see ten of them make varsity was just awesome.”

Poitras-Cote and O’Connell made sure they could make this season as special as possible by encouraging team spirit.

“I want to shout out the captains, Kerryn and Macey, for doing everything they could do to make this season special and keep everyone happy,” Coughlin said.